In early April, I was invited to a lunch in Seattle hosted by Kristan Raines, Annie Reeves, Megan Flynn Peterson, and La Crema Winery. It was a lovely afternoon with an incredible group of women and course after course of delicious food. Here are some of the blog posts with recipes from the afternoon: Strawberry-rhubarb galette and roasted leek and cauliflower soup. (pictured top right)

Today is the 500th anniversary of the Rheinheitsgebot, the German beer purity law that regulates which ingredients can be used to brew German beer: barley, hops, water, and (later added to the list) yeast. Prost! is marking the occasion with a biergarten, special beers, a pig roast, and music.

Tiffany Howard of Oh Honey Bakes is hosting a Mother's Day tea and cake party at the Smith Tea tasting room on Sunday, May 8. Tiffany is creating a a Jasmine Silver Tip infused cake layered with macerated raspberries and topped with a chocolate ganache and covered with a raspberry buttercream, which will be paired with three tea selected by Head Teamaker Tony Tellin.

Kachka is hosting a Bloody Mary Bloc Party on Sunday, May 1 in celebration of the release of their horseradish vodka with bartenders from Oso Market + Bar, Dig A Pony, Bit House Saloon, Slow Bar and Bull in China competing for the Best Bloody Mary on Grand. (pictured top left)

Get your paella fix at Chesa, the new gorgeous restaurant by the geniuses behind Ataula. I'm kind of in love with everything on the menu, especially the goat's cheese savory dessert with fig bread, ceba negra jam, and pine nuts brittle, which I had the opportunity to photograph recently. (pictured bottom right)

12 Experiments is my favorite new blog, which happens to be run by my dear friend Sarah who is spending the year challenging her fears and raising questions about the way she lives. Equal parts hilarious and poignantly insightful, it will make you look at your own life with renewed curiosity and reflection.

Lots of photo editing this week meant that I had the opportunity to catch up on past episodes of Fresh Air. I especially enjoyed this interview with Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese Food. We're headed to San Francisco in May and can't wait to try it out.

Welcome! I'm Carly, a photographer and creative consultant in Portland, OR. Here you will find stories about photography, life in the Pacific NW, and recipes that celebrate local food and seasonal produce. Read more...